


Titan Friend

by JJJotun, M4D



Category: Transformers: Titans Return
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canonical Character Death, Cheesy, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Interpretive, M/M, Multi, Possession, Sad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:41:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25161046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JJJotun/pseuds/JJJotun, https://archiveofourown.org/users/M4D/pseuds/M4D
Summary: He made so many mistakes in his past, leading up to his untimely demise. But Starscream refuses to make another, even if it means giving up his freedom.
Relationships: Fortress Maximus/Starscream, Fortress Maximus/Trypticon
Kudos: 5





	Titan Friend

**Author's Note:**

> Oh my, this is sooo self indulgent. I thought Fortress Maximus was such a sweetheart in Titans Return I just had to write something like this, the ultimate fix it fic.
> 
> This ignores Power of the Primes and the very end of the finale of Titans, but I will be taking some points from it (megatronus is too great to ignore 😂)
> 
> I butcher some of the quotes from the show just for my own displeasure, but thank you for the read and possibly enjoy!

And in the blink of an eye, it was over.

Trypticon writhed in its place, strangely contempt and quiet as it illuminated with the power of a million suns. Making even the brightest stars in the sky look weak in its intense presence.

The Matrix of Leadership purged a forgotten part of the titan, and it was done.

In its wake, the mouth of the beast opened to reveal light, casting down on the watchful forms of the Combiners and the mechs who had previously fought the monstrous machine, all in awe and in waiting.

Perceptor willowed to the ground in its beam, the Matrix in his natured palms. Victorion followed, carrying the Enigma of combination dutifully. Landing to the dirtied metal surface, the two joined the others, the Prime watched carefully to the disturbed scientist.

Their fields weigh with misery and disdain. As if their short time inside the Titan had been schooling in an undesirable area. With an extensive coating of relief, they were glad to be back.

The Combiners welcomed Victorion with happiful arms, they had assumed she had perished fighting the very mech that tower over them. Optimus' brows folded at the sight of Perceptor, who clutched to the Matrix like his spark would vanquish without it. Even with one optic, something pooled deep within his faceplates.

Even in observation of his peers, Optimus could not stop himself from staring at the Titan. It was too sudden, too apprehensive. And they could all feel it, a strange discord withering inside.

Fortress Maximus jaunt in deep strides towards his fellow Titan, he too was cautious as to the oddly docile behaviour. It was not dead, was it?

The quiet emitting from Trypticon was deafened by the questions and quoting from the mechs, jeers and jaunts and praises to succession, they seemed to be celebrating victory too soon.

Nay, it was not as finished as they'd hoped.

The Titan bellowed, no, it screamed as it shook with an inane ferocity. Fortress Maximus trembled as he gripped on to the giant's shoulder, trying to find reason behind Trypticon's insanity.

It was a sight to behold, the mechs stand rigid, unable to intervene in such a strange moment.

"My friend, why are you in agony? What troubles you?"

Maximus' gentle but firm voice boomed throughout Cybertron like a speaker's ferocity. Trypticon hardly responded to the comfort, continuing it's spiral into a maddening outburst.

It kept shaking its head, in an almost amusingly human way, wailing out roars that could fry the audials of anyone that stood right next to the looming figure.

Sudden and frozen, Trypticon ceased, slowing like an erratic spark that has begun to calm. Despite silencing, anyone could hear it's cries echoing on for minutes after, or that is what it seemed.

With a damning hiss, the plating slid by over the Titan's Spark, a steady flow of dark purple energy wisping away before it could touch the ground. The air went raw as more and more of the fog dripped and spun out of Trypticon's very core. Like a parasite abandoning its host.

The foggy damp smoke began to clear away, and a figure rose from the smog.

It was hard to make out who or what it was in the beginning, but once it was apparent, the gawking never ceased. Megatron had to make it known that he was the first.

"Starscream, Lords of Tarn can't you ever just stay dead?!"

The ghastly figure flew with a dreaded stillness towards the gathering of ready-to-battle mechs. Unusual silent, even after Megatron's jab.

It landed, making no sound as the careful pedes touched the metal of Cybertron's crust. Nothing about Starscream made a sound.

The ghost shuddered away the last of the smog, leaving a transparent and kneeling bot in its wake, glowing a gentle blue while nothing surrounding him shared the same.

"Dead? Heh… I've never felt… more alive." It sounded as if it were spoken from someone who was more than ready to die.

But he could not fade away, no amount of closing his eyes and darkening out the rest of the world would let him be free. He tampered with powers beyond his imagination, and the price had yet to be paid.

Starscream's wings drooped at odd angles, almost bending past his joints as they pecked the ground softly. His hands gripped the floor with no real effort, trying to find something real to touch while knowing it was in vain.

Optimus, Megatron, Windblade, all of them stared down, back up to the Titan's, to each other. It was an unexpected thing to witness, Starscream was supposed to be dead. It only piled up on the many surprises they would experience today.

Especially so, when the seeker began to cry.

At first, it wasn't so obvious. His helm knelt down far enough that his lids weren't visible to the towering transformers. Only shivering as if it were a chilly morning.

Fortress Maximus peered between the little jet and his Titan friend, who had started to tremble as well, chassis heaving with heavy vents that could not cycle through properly.

For once in his life, Starscream felt incredibly small.

He was finally free from the Titan's mind, but at what cost?

A whimper here and there, he knew he wouldn't be able to stop himself soon. How humiliating…

"...Don't tell me you're going to start crying, after everything you did?"

Megatron again. Starscream didn't want to look up to his once warlord, but he couldn't help himself. Anger, concern, disdain. It was all pointed at him. That didn't stop his incoming sobs from arriving. They were right to hate him.

They were all bystanders, even Megatron, to Starscream's mourning. He despised himself for not having the power to cancel out the eventual tears, even in this ghastly form. They sparkled on his glowing cheeks, flooding down once his emotional firewall snapped to pieces.

More eyes lay to the Titan, who mimicked Starscream's grief. Roaring in agony, it was difficult to tell who was really the one screeching.

"This is s-so humiliating..." It came out in an ugly choke, rightfully placed with the cries that followed. Starscream may not have been able to feel physical pain, but his spark ached with a horrid sadness that could crush a mech's spirits in seconds. If only he still had a spark beating in his fake chassis.

Trypticon's wailing could have been heard through half the galaxy with its sheer intensity, making Starscream's seem obsolete, despite being one in the same. The ground vibrated with the tenor.

There was nothing they could do, but watch as a flurry of emotion erupted from the ghost of Starscream, no one dared interrupt the bellows of the giant that stood above the departed.

Megatron attempted to walk to his once second, only for a hand on his chassis to stop him in his tracks. Optimus gave him a look of longing and concern, one that told him now was not the time.

Eventually, but only eventually, did Starscream slow his barrage of feeling. Even the spirit had an emotive field, grating the others that stood in front of him. He brought a servo up to wipe at the tears, particles of them floating away like pixies.

"...please stop staring, you're making this worse.." The melancholy seeker rumbled at the attention from all of the people witnessing his breakdown, in the end though-

"You're the one that decided to cry in front of everyone, of course they're going to stare at you, makeshift." Megatron again, it hurt less though.

"Megatron.." Optimus warned his rival, trying to read those cold faceplates of his, seeing a speckle of something in the optics.

Starscream swiped away at his eyes again, most of the sobs were gone from his chest by now, some still hidden and waiting to be let loose.

"No, no, he's right. I'm just making a fool of myself again."  _ He's always right. _

He looked back and forth to the mechs and combiners, there were so many of them. All there to stop  _ him _ , it was almost, heartwarming. That he brought them all together in a weird way.

He stood up once more, struggling to get up off his knees for a klik with how foreign it was to not feel sensation.

"I can't believe I wasted my life, being the person I was.

Just…" He began struggling to speak, it was hardly a confession to these people, but to him it felt like his last words.

"Just, just forget about me. Let me fade away. 

Just let me die."

The world felt so much simpler, like a weight had been lifted off of his conscience after saying that. He truly didn't want to die, but he was already in the grave, and he got the chance to say goodbye. Like he always wanted to.

It felt like pieces of him were crumbling apart and wisping away in the wind, particles of his body floating away like beautiful blue butterflies. He would never unite with the Allspark, but he could disappear and rest easy.

Finally, after so long, he could finally-

_ "Wait." _

That voice, it was unfamiliar.

Starscream opened his optics from his death induced euphoria. He was still in the same place, he had been interrupted. Someone wanted him here.

He turned around to where the voice was, dazed before realizing it was coming from the hulking giant of a machine, standing beside Trypticon's limp frame.

_ "You are Starscream, are you not?"  _

That voice, soothing and deep. It nearly lulled him into a comfort if it were not for his disappointment of being postponed.

"...What does it matter to you?"

_ "I am unsure of the circumstances, but you are the one who possessed my Titan brother?" _

Starscream frowned, looking back to the gigantic fortress. The variables were too complicated to explain, and there was no reason to explain, not anymore.

"Yes."

The Titan did not forbode, or mock. Simply observed the little seeker.

" _ Trypticon was not supposed to awaken so soon, he had not fully recovered since his last departure. If you are to leave the bond put upon each other, he will die." _

It put another wave of shame into Starscream's spark. He had killed one Titan today, and now he was going to kill another. The well spoken mech was patient for his response, but understood the grief emitting from the small jet.

_ "But. If you are to remain within him, he may be able to heal and begin his life's cycle once again." _

Starscream's optics widened, with something odd. It was difficult to tell that it was  _ hope,  _ still trying to recollect himself from forgetting.

"...if I return to his spark, I can save him?"

_ "You can." _

Starscream didn't need to consider his options much, he already had an answer. Just a lot to think about. Taking a deep breath in, the ghost turned back to the audience of mechs expectantly, and back to the fortress.

It robbed him of his undeserving rest, but it may have well been worth it.

"It, it is the very least I can do, after everything I have done."

He swore he could see the Titan smile under the intense bearing. Slowly, it held out a large palm in a friendly gesture, so foreign to Starscream and yet so pleasing.

" _ Thank you, Starscream." _

It wasn't, but, it truly did feel like the first time Starscream was told thank you.

He looked back to the living, staring in longing and confusion, in pride and in justice, anger and restlessness. Windblade gave a sad smile, the Cityspeaker was glad another Titan didn't have to perish today. Optimus seemed contempt, like a captain wishing a soldier good will, while knowing the mission is suicidal. He expected as much, these people were the ones who killed him while he was already dying.

And Megatron, his posture was firm as always. Starscream gave him a hard long look, his version of a goodbye, without even seeing behind the ex-warlord's eyes, that begged him not to leave. No one would be able to fill the gap Starscream was in Megatron's spark, but he hoped that one day someone would, he wasn't a good memory.

Back to the Titan, Starscream silently submitted, and felt him wisp away, crisp pieces of him floating like blue crystals. Instead of flying nowhere, he had somewhere, somewhere he would be trapped again.

But trapped with a purpose, to heal at least one of the people he hurt. It would only ease his guilt a little.

His form crumbled in a pillow of dust, and Starscream was no more. For the others at least.

A few kliks of silence from all parties, Trypticon's optics began to glow in soft blinks. Being assisted into a stance by Fortress Maximus, the massive Titan trembled dreadfully, getting used to its new form.

It heaved slowly, tail fidgeting, adjusting to the strange limb. Arms flexing, observing their movements and how small they were. It couldn't move so quickly, it felt impaired, yet powerful. But it didn't want that power anymore. He didn't.

He let out a whimper, dipping his head in sporadic shakes, starting to weep once more, but the Titan friend was there for him. The giant put a servo on his neck and under an arm, holding him firmly.

" _ It's alright to feel sad, friend Starscream. I know you didn't mean to hurt him. _ "

The monstrous fortress continued bellowing demonstrative nonsense, frame shaking in loud groans as it tried to calm. It's voicebox squeaked, trying to recognize itself for a moment.

"I-am s-o sorrr-y…" 

Fortress Maximus moved forward a bit more, closing the gap between the two giants, wrapping his arms gently over the slightly smaller body of Trypticon.

" _ It is okay, I forgive you. _ "

It's cries grew only then, sorrowful and yet hopeful. The trembling began to cease, accepting the body embracing him, letting himself go.

The moment stilled, and the brave mechs and femmes dared to watch as the two most powerful beings on Cybertron comforted each other in silence then on.

Trypticon's eyes grew weary, fading in and out, desperate to go back into his deep slumber. He was scared he would be alone, but he wasn't alone. He had the Titan friend with him. The one that showed him kindness when he didn't deserve it.

"T-hank you, Ti-tan frie-nd…"

With that, Starscream rested.

Fortress Maximus sighed after seeing Trypticon fall back into its stasis, and decided it was time for him to rest as well. He was brought here to defeat his fellow Titan, and he succeeded. In the way he hoped to succeed.

His job was done, but he had a new one to take its place.

He silently wished his Cybertronian friends good luck, promised himself he would help rebuild the moment his job was completed, and went to sleep.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Slightly hopeful ending? Maybe, but more to come in the future!


End file.
